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Mayor's July progress report

Dale janway, Mayor, City of Carlsbad
Published 1:00 a.m. MT July 30, 2017

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Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway gives an opening welcome to those attending the annual Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Banquet July 20 at the Pecos River Village Conference Center.(Photo: Jessica Onsurez Current-Argus)Buy Photo

It’s always nice to hear some good news, even if it is something that you already know. A recent study released by the Policom Corporation listed Carlsbad as fourth in growth of Micropolitan areas in the United States. Carlsbad has also been ranked first in New Mexico for the past three years. We’re continuing to see industrial, residential and retail growth everywhere you look, and we appreciate all of the amazing men and women who make Carlsbad such a great place to work and play.

Sadly, we lost several of those amazing men and women over the past few weeks. Carlsbad is a very close-knit community, and several of our recent losses have been especially heartbreaking.

The tragic loss of Lisa Sexton devastated this community. Last Saturday, Robert Defer, Jay Francis and Larry Henderson led a memorial service that really touched everyone present. Lisa’s contributions to the Lions Club and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce were invaluable. She will be sorely missed.

We also deeply mourn the loss of Terry Chandler, one of the outstanding humanitarians in the country. Terry has done so many charitable acts, both publicly and privately, to help those in need, especially through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which was her passion, as well as the Infinite Hero Foundation, which supports returning military veterans. Terry was also one of the most ardent supporters of the National Hot Rod Association.

Carlsbad lost another great citizen last week in Miles Caddell, a retired educator who was extremely involved with the Dirt Dobbers and Carlsbad Cars Club. Miles spearheaded many of the fundraising and volunteer efforts of our local car enthusiasts, and he was a good friend to the United Way, local youth scholarship programs, and many other organizations. Finally, we mourn the passing of Wayne Roberts, who was involved in the Carlsbad Community Concert Association and other nonprofits. We are so thankful for all that these amazing citizens have done for Carlsbad, and we want their family members to know that we share in their grief.

The first meeting of the Brine Well Advisory Authority took place in July, and seven of the eight agencies appointed to serve on the authority have displayed a high level of commitment toward quickly resolving this issue. We’d like to see the State Attorney General’s Office also become engaged. The state is putting together a Request for Proposals looking for one or more companies who are interested in developing an engineering plan. We have also been working very closely with our congressional delegation to examine different options for funding the remediation of the well. Senator Martin Heinrich and members of his staff have recently provided tremendous assistance with research. The next Authority meeting is scheduled for Aug. 16, and we are grateful to the members of the public who have been willing to provide suggestions and recommendations.

The Carlsbad Water Park has been having a great second year. Despite a few rainy days, attendance at the park has been very high, and we’ve had several private parties going on each weekend. We had one very special party this past weekend — an evening set aside for local foster children — and it was so great that one of our local businessmen was willing to step forward to help these kids out. Thanks to Jimmy Fuson for supporting these kids, and for always coming forward to help members of this community in so many ways.

We’re also very excited that the splash pad at the Carlsbad Beach is back open. This took longer than expected, due to a contractor issue, but the City of Carlsbad workers who took over did an excellent job. It’s great to have several places to cool off. Thanks again to the Larry and Scott Gregory families for their very generous donation of the splash pad.

Last week, the Current-Argus published a story about the Carlsbad Police Department’s K-9 program. This program will assist our police officers with protecting the community and was made possible through numerous local donations. The officers and dogs are receiving special training that will save lives and catch bad guys. Special thanks to Paul Trone for spearheading the effort.

Congratulations to everyone who made this year’s Jericho Walk such a success, especially Robert and Patricia Jacquez and the pastors with numerous local churches. It is always great when the members of our community of faith come together.

Finally, congratulations to all of our outstanding participants in this year’s Eddy County Fair. Our young fair participants especially have so much to be proud about.